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GP RecruitmentGP Clinical Academic Fellowships 2007...


General Information
The Clinical Academic Fellowships Programme is a national initiative offering entry-level specialist training to those who have Foundation competences in medicine and can demonstrate that they have outstanding potential for development as a clinical academic. We anticipate that 8 national Academic Training Fellowships in General Practice will be offered in 2007 so the awards are highly competitive.

The Fellowships provide 4 years training, of which about 75% is clinical and 25% academic. At the completion of training the trainee will be eligible for accreditation as a general practitioner and will be expected to have passed the membership examination for the Royal College of General Practitioners. They will also be in a position to apply for admission to a higher level academic training programme leading to the award of a higher degree.

Fellowships in General Practice will be offered in five Deaneries in 2007 in association with the Universities of Bristol and Southampton (Severn and Wessex), Cambridge (Eastern), Keele (West Midlands), Oxford (Oxford), and Manchester (North-Western). The academic programmes offered in each Deanery are described in more detail below.

In addition to the Academic Fellowships in General Practice, the London Deanery is offering a specific Fellowship which provides academic training in Primary Care Mental Health research in parallel with GP vocational training.  Details of this Fellowship are listed below under the London Deanery. The application and initial short-listing process will be similar to the General Practice Fellowships in other deaneries, although interview dates have yet to be decided and there will be no clearing interviews.

The person specification for entry is common to all Deaneries and can be found on the MTAS website (www.mtas.nhs.uk) through which all applications must be made by completing both the standard GP training application and the additional academic training form. Those making an unsuccessful application for academic training will still be considered for a standard GP specialty training programme. General guidance on making applications for general practice training is given at www.gprecruitment.org.uk.


Selection process and Interview dates
The first round of academic interviews for Clinical Academic Fellowships will take place on March 12th (Keele), March 13th (Cambridge and Southampton) or 14th (Bristol, Manchester, Oxford). You will be notified by e-mail around March 6th whether you have been short-listed for an academic interview. Your place of interview will depend on the Deanery to which your application is directed by the National Recruitment Office. This depends on your expressed preference and your performance at the initial assessment which all applicants for GP training will take in February (the higher your score the more likely you are to be allocated to the Deanery of your first choice).

Candidates who do not receive a provisional offer of a Fellowship as a result of this first interview may be invited to a "clearing" interview for a Fellowship in another Deanery. These clearing interviews will all be held in London on March 23rd.

The academic interview will also assess suitability for clinical training and clinical training posts will be provisionally reserved for applicants recommended for a Fellowship. Nevertheless, all applicants for GP training will be asked to attend for selection centre at their allocated Deanery between March 19th and April 6th. This will allow applicants who have not been offered Fellowships to compete for a standard GP specialty training programme rotation and those provisionally offered Fellowships to confirm their suitability for GP specialty training.


London Deanery (1 post)
The London Deanery and the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences (PCPS) at Royal Free & University College Medical School are pleased to offer the first and only Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) in England to provide specialist vocational training in General Practice combined with academic training specifically in Primary Care Mental Health research. The post commences in August 2007 and is for four years.

Applications are invited for this ACF which will be fully integrated into the London Deanery general practice training programme (Royal Free Scheme). Academic training in the first two years will be designed to fit in with the Fellow’s standard hospital rotations (i.e four posts of 6 months each, one of which will be in psychiatry). Research training will be through modular distance learning courses in Epidemiology and Statistics at the London School of Hygiene or in Primary Care Research methods at UCL. Trainees will also be encouraged to undertake a research project based on clinical work in one or more of their hospital posts (psychiatry, GU Medicine, paediatrics and elderly medicine).

During years 3 and 4 Fellows will pursue an extended GP Registrar post in one of the training practices within the network of PCPS University Linked Practices. These practices are approved for postgraduate training and are actively engaged in research and educational activities. The trainees will, over these two years, develop their clinical competences as general practitioners while gaining an in-depth exposure to academic primary care as they divide their time 60% clinical and 40% academic in year 3; and 40% clinical, 60% academic in year 4. Their academic focus during these years will be to advance their research expertise with support from their mentor and other relevant PCPS senior staff chosen with the aim of developing an application for a competitive, externally funded research fellowship award on a topic chosen from the spectrum of mental health research taking place within the department. Training in teaching will also be provided by UCL’s Academic Centre for Medical Education.

Each Fellow will be inducted into the Primary Care Mental Health research team and will be attached to one of the major research programmes. Fellows will have a chance to enhance their research skills by completing modules of the stepped Certificate, Diploma or MSc course programme. Completing an MSc during the ACF years will be encouraged.

Our department is a stimulating place that has a keen interest in nurturing future clinical academics. Short-listed candidates will be invited to visit the department before interview to learn more about the academic environment and the clinical training at the Royal Free.

Further details about the Department of PCPS can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pcps/. Further details about Academic Clinical Fellowships can be found at http://www.nccrcd.nhs.uk/intetacatrain/iatacf

Further details about GP training in London can be found at: http://www.londondeanery.ac.uk/general-practice. Specific enquiries about the London ACF programme can be addressed to Dr Joe Rosenthal: j.rosenthal@pcps.ucl.ac.uk


Eastern Deanery (2 posts)

The Eastern Deanery and the General Practice & Primary Care Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, are delighted to jointly offer two academic GP registrar training posts, to start in August 2007.

Applications are invited for the 4 year vocational training scheme (VTS) which will be fully integrated into the highly regarded Cambridge VTS programme. Training will be based in the associated primary and secondary care trusts, with learning opportunities across the Eastern Region R&D infrastructure. Applicants must have submitted an application during the current recruitment round for GP training in order to be eligible for the Walport interviews, and need to pass the relevant Stage 3 assessments.

The programme will start with six months of general practice, then EITHER one year of hospital-based training; one year of half-time general practice and half-time in two community posts (e.g. paediatrics, elderly medicine, palliative care, genitourinary medicine, mental health) OR eighteen months of hospital-based training and six months of general practice. Both rotations will end with eighteen months spent three days a week in the academic environment, and the remaining time in general practice. An academic strand will be maintained across the whole four-year period tailored to the post-holder's needs.

The successful applicants will be provided with individual, flexible, needs-based and tailored academic training to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in research methods and medical education. The academic attachment will include experiential learning about primary care research and medical education leading to journal publication. It will support a successful application for a competitive externally funded training fellowship (e.g. Department of Health, MRC). They will also undergo clinical training leading to successful nMRCGP examination and PMETB CCT certification, with a focus on the generalist clinical knowledge base and special skills in the area of research interest. At the completion of the training, the post-holder can expect to possess the values and attitudes appropriate to good patient care, clinical and academic competence and the skills required for effective practice management.

Further information http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/gppcru/AcademicGPTrainingPosts.htm

Specific enquiries about the Cambridge scheme can be addressed to:
Dr Fiona Walter:
fmw22@medschl.cam.ac.uk

 

Oxford Deanery (2 posts)
An academic training scheme for general practice has been operational in Oxford since 2002. The Oxford Deanery, in collaboration with the Oxford University Department of Primary Health Care, anticipates appointing two Clinical Academic Fellows in 2007.

Clinical Academic Fellows spend 4 rather than 3 years in vocational training. Clinical Academic Fellows will undertake the standard hospital-based clinical training in common with other GP vocational trainees during the first 2 years. In years 3 and 4, trainees are attached to a University-linked general practice for clinical training and spend 40% of their time in year 3 and 60% in year 4 undertaking teaching and research training at the University. The balance between hospital based and general practice based clinical training is evolving over time and may change during the duration of the Fellowship.

We will agree with you a personalised academic training plan based on your individual needs and you will become part of a national cohort of clinical academic trainees. However, you should be aware that at present hospital staffing levels sometimes make it difficult to take study leave and/or change clinical rotas for academic training in the first two years.

During the last two years you will be expected to take part in a research project leading to journal publication. This research must be in an area in which the University Department has existing expertise and can provide supervision. In some research areas there is likely to be an opportunity for trainees to spend short periods of time overseas.

We are particularly keen to admit strong applicants with an interest in research but we also anticipate admitting candidates with a primary interest in medical education

By the completion of your 4 year training we expect you to achieve accreditation as a clinical specialist in general practice and Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners. You will at this stage have the option of returning to a clinical career track but most previous trainees have applied successfully for higher academic training awards (to allow completion of a D Phil or MD degree) or junior Lecturer posts.

Further details about the University Department can be found at http://www.primarycare.ox.ac.uk. We like to believe that it is both a stimulating and friendly place to work. Short-listed candidates will be invited to contact current academic trainees by phone or e-mail in the week before interview to hear about their experiences and views on the strengths and weaknesses of the academic rotation. One of the trainees will also be present at the interviews.

Enquiries should be addressed to ryan.giannone@dphpc.ox.ac.uk

 

North-West Deanery (2 posts)
The North Western Deanery in conjunction with the Manchester Medical School have been awarded 2 national Clinical Academic Fellows in General Practice.

We will appoint one Fellow in Medical Education and one in Research.

The successful applicants will be supported and encouraged to undertake a Masters Degree in either Medical Education or Research and supported to develop the necessary skills to embark on a higher (PhD) Degree in the future as well as being fully vocationally trained with a CCT in Primary Care.

The training will be based in the Manchester PCT and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust and will be linked throughout the 4 years to experienced training practices with academic links in education & research respectively.

The programme will be 1 year of hospital based training, 1 year of an innovative split training (40% in hospital 40% in the training practice and 20% in the Academic Unit). The final 2 years will be as a GP Registrar with 50% attachment to the Academic Unit to complete the Masters Degree.

There will be strong links to the National Primary Care Centre for Research & Development for the research post and to the Department of the Professor of Community Based Medical Education for the education post. The Manchester Medical School has 3 Chairs in Medical Education, a 24/24 rating and a strong track record in Medical Education Research. The national research centre has a 5 star rating and an extensive PhD programme. Terms and conditions will be as for a full GP VTS scheme but for 4 years.

These new posts present an exciting and innovative opportunity to combine an extra training year with a foundation for future academic work in education or research.

For further details contact Valerie.Wass@manchester.ac.uk

 

Severn and Wessex Deanery
Bristol (1 post)

The Academic Unit of Primary Health Care in the University of Bristol, in association with the Severn Institute GP training scheme, has been awarded a ‘Walport’ Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) programe in general practice (see http://www.nccrcd.nhs.uk/url for more information on this scheme). Applicants to the current round for GP training commencing August 2007 who would like to pursue an academic career attached to a very successful academic department are invited to apply for this fellowship.

This programme will provide a two phase, four year training programme for a doctor wishing to pursue a career in academic general practice:

Hospital phase: two years in hospital posts (4x6 month posts in appropriate specialties)

Academic GP registrar phase: two years of integrated academic general practice, with time divided equally between academic work in the Academic Unit of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol, and training as a GP registrar in a local practice which is recognised for undergraduate teaching, accredited for vocational training and is highly research-active.

The objectives of this training programme are to provide:

(i) an excellent foundation training in research methods
(ii) experience of conducting a specific research project
(iii) support for a trainee with outstanding potential in making an application for an externally funded research training fellowship (RTF) eg MRC, Wellcome, NHS R&D to follow on from this post
(iv) a limited exposure to and experience of undergraduate teaching
(v) high quality and comprehensive vocational training for general practice, leading to successful achievement of the MRCGP qualification, as well as formal accreditation on completion of training
(vi) a stimulating intellectual environment and inspiring role models, to introduce GPRs to the opportunities, challenges and excitement of an academic career.

Our unit conducts high quality research addressing questions of priority to the NHS. Much research relates to important clinical areas such as cancer, sexual health and mental health, or wider questions of great importance for health policy, for example into patient decision making and organisation of care.The Unit contributed to the 5* rating achieved by Community Based Clinical Subjects in Bristol in the 2001 RAE. We are one of the 5 founding departments of the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. The Unit has an excellent track-record of obtaining externally funded research fellowships.

The Severn Institute postgraduate GP Directorate has been in the vanguard of innovation within UK GP training. The Bristol VTS is the most popular and entry requirements are the highest within the deanery. For several years, all exiting doctors have taken and passed the MRCGP with numerous merits and distinctions. The teaching is particularly strong with emphasis on the skills required to give the highest care within inner city populations. The vast majority of those completing the scheme continue to work within the immediate vicinity and join practices that are active in teaching and research.

You will have an academic GP mentor whom you will meet regularly during the two year hospital phase and who will oversee your academic progress throughout the 4 year training programme. At the start of year 3, you will be encouraged to choose a research topic on which you can build a later fellowship application. In addition to regular supervisions with the academic mentor, you will undertake structured research training covering all aspects of designing and conducting a research study, building on the very successful programme already established in the Department of Social Medicine in Bristol.

Your GP trainer will supervise your work in the practice and provide formal 2 hour tutorials every fortnight. Every three months in years 3 and 4, there will be a joint meeting with your GP trainer and academic supervisor. The Severn Institute will pilot the nMRCGP from August 2006 in readiness for its implementation in August 2007. This will inform progress on the successful acquisition of clinical competence.. In addition we will hold occasional UK wide meetings for GP ACFs hosted by each of the involved academic departments.

At the end of the 4 years we hope that you will have passed your nMRCGP, got your CCT and have been successful in obtaining an externally funded RTF which will allow you to study for a PhD/MD.

For more information please look at our website (www.bris.ac.uk/primaryhealthcare)
or contact Professor Debbie Sharp (
debbie.sharp@bris.ac.uk)
or Dr Andy Hall
(andy.hall@sevwesdeanery.nhs.uk)

 

Severn and Wessex Deanery
Southampton (1 post)

The Primary Medical Care Group at the University of Southampton School of Medicine, in association with the Wessex Institute GP training scheme, are offering a four year training programme including two years in hospital posts and two years of integrated academic general practice, with time divided equally between academic work in the department and clinical training in a practice in the Wessex region.

The objectives are for the trainee:

  • To undertake the equivalent of three years full-time specialty training for General Practice, in accredited hospital posts and a research active training practice, to meet the requirements of a CCT in General Practice of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board.
  • To undertake generic research methods training through a programme run by the School of Medicine’s Postgraduate School.
  • To conduct a systematic literature review, or a pilot/exploratory research project, to help inform and develop a proposal for an externally funded research training fellowship.
  • To identify their specific learning needs in relation to their proposed research project/systematic review, and undertake relevant training courses in Southampton or elsewhere as appropriate.
  • To submit applications for research training fellowships in national competition (from the MRC, Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, or other research charity).

The trainee will be placed on the Severn and Wessex Deanery GP training scheme and their clinical GP training will take place in a research active practice local to the School of Medicine. The clinical training will be supervised by an experienced trainer identified by the Associate Director of Postgraduate GP Education for Southampton, Dr Johnny Lyon-Maris. The academic supervisor will be a senior lecturer, reader, or professor in the University of Southampton Primary Medical Care (PMC) Group. The trainee will be exposed to the practical aspects of conducting research, through attending research project meetings for ongoing studies being run by the PMC group. They will also attend weekly PMC research seminars, and monthly seminars run by the Treatment Decisions Group of the Division of Community Clinical Sciences (CCS). They will undertake generic research methods training by joining PhD and DM students for the relevant seminars offered within the established annual programme run by the School of Medicine’s Postgraduate School. They will also undertake training courses appropriate to their specific learning needs, in Southampton or elsewhere. For example, for trainees undertaking quantitative research, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine provides very high quality courses in Epidemiology and Statistics. Similarly, qualitative research training may be provided within Southampton by the ESRC National Research Methods Centre, or externally by the University of Surrey, for example.

Funding for research expenses and the costs of external research methods training courses will be provided by the PMC Group. In-house mentorship will be provided by a second senior academic GP within the PMC Group, who can provide support, advice and guidance independently of the trainee’s supervisor. In addition to the in-house mentoring, the trainees will be encouraged to attend regular national meetings and courses for academic GP trainees from other accredited departments around the country, to provide peer support and take advantage of the pooled expertise of senior academic colleagues from all the accredited training schemes.

The PMC Group includes eight senior academics (two professors, one reader, five senior lecturers, and a Director of Education) of whom six are HEFCE funded, and around 45 research, administrative, clerical, and IT support staff. The Group runs around 10-15 community-based clinical trials and other studies at any one time, with annual grant income of around £1.5m, and has made internationally recognised contributions in the fields of the management of common conditions with huge public health impact, especially acute infections, and mental health problems in primary care. Primary care research at Southampton was cited as being of ‘high national and international quality’ in written feedback from the 2001 RAE panel. The trainees would be joining three PhD students funded by the MRC (two research training fellowships and one studentship), three funded by the DH (one RDA holder and two CAM studentships), and four research training fellows funded through our existing block contract with the NCCRCD to develop research capacity. So far 14 fellows have been funded through this contract in the last seven years. Three PhDs, 1 DM, and 4 MScs (2 with Distinction) have been awarded since then, and a further 4 PhDs and 2 MScs are in progress. The 14 fellows have published 36 peer-reviewed papers, 2 Cochrane reviews and 13 review articles. Four have gone on to win training fellowships in open national competition: two from the Department of Health, and two from the MRC. Two others are now senior lecturers in other medical schools. The group has also demonstrated its ability to win post-doctoral fellowships (one DH primary care PD award, two DH CAM PD awards, and Paul Little’s MRC Clinician Scientist award), and so is able to provide ongoing opportunities for trainees finishing their research training fellowships.

For more information please contact Professor Tony Kendrick – (A.R.Kendrick@soton.ac.uk)
 

 

West Midland Deanery (1 post)
The first national Fellowships were awarded in 2006 but an integrated academic vocational training scheme for general practice has been operational in Keele since 2002. The academic component of the VTS at Keele is now delivered entirely through the Masters in Medical Science. Nine GPs have completed an extended academic programme to date, each of whom have undertaken structured research training and a supervised project, completing a higher degree and MRCGP, and publishing their research in peer review journals. Two have gained national Research Fellowships in open competition, and eight have gained joint clinical academic GP posts locally.

The aim of the current clinical academic fellowship is to build on this track record of developing academic career pathways for GPs. We have one post available for October 2007. Academic trainees spend 4 rather than 3 years in vocational training. Currently the first 2 years involve standard hospital training with study leave. In years 3 and 4, trainees are attached to a University-linked general practice for clinical training and spend 40% of their time in year 1 and 60% in year 2 undertaking research training at the University. More details about the University Research Centre can be found at www.keele.ac.uk/research/pchs The balance between hospital based and general practice based clinical training is evolving over time and may change during the duration of the Fellowship.

All applicants must meet the national person specification for specialist training in general practice. We are particularly keen to admit strong applicants with an interest in research, and can offer a strong grounding in clinical epidemiology, but we also anticipate admitting candidates whose primary interest is in medical education.

You will undertake an integrated clinical and academic training, with study leave and associated funding configured to support participation in our modular Master’s programme. We will also agree with you a personalised research project and associated training schedule based on your individual needs, with mentorship from academics at Keele’s Primary Care Musculoskeletal Research Centre. You will become part of a national cohort of academic trainees and will be expected to participate in national meetings. During the last two years you will be expected to take part in a research project leading to journal publication. This research must be in an area in which the University Department has existing expertise and can provide supervision.

At the completion of your 4 year training we expect you to have achieved accreditation as a clinical specialist in general practice and Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners. You will at this stage have the option of returning to a clinical career track but previous trainees have also applied successfully for higher academic training awards (to allow completion of a D Phil or MD degree) or junior Lecturer posts.

Specific enquiries about the Keele scheme can be addressed to r.w.hughes@cphc.keele.ac.uk

 

 

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